Both Bezos and de Vries make clear during their conversations with Shatner that they were “Star Trek” nerds growing up, and as an added bonus, the producers visit a convention along with the actor, where there’s plenty of enthusiasm about Captain Kirk going to space.
The public-relations value of Shatner’s involvement might be obvious, but the special underscores just how many levels that encompassed.
Listening to Shatner’s exultation after landing, though, it was hard not to be moved, at least a little.